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You know the old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, it’s both right and wrong. It’s right that who you know is very important in getting ahead. But it’s wrong in stating that your actual credentials and experience are irrelevant to getting ahead. You need both the network and real skills!
Finding the balance of both taking advantage of our network and giving our credentials the credit they deserve is not easy. When telling someone about an opportunity that came to light because of a connection of mine, I find myself wanting to say, “but I really am qualified, it’s not just about who I know!” Why is this? Why do I think that leaning on my network threatens the perception of me as highly credentialed? I think it’s because phrases like, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” have positioned our network against our credentials.
From the umpteen conversations I’ve had with women about career stuff, I know I’m not alone on this one. For some reason, women in particular, seem uncomfortable with letting their networks and their credentials coexist and work together to get them the best possible opportunities. I think deep down we fear that if we really take advantage of getting in the door because of who we know, we’re abandoning our belief that our credentials should speak for themselves.
Here’s the secret: your network is an endorsement of your credentials. Your network bolsters, reinforces, highlights, and approves of your credentials. Your network is only as strong as the actual skills it knows you have. If your network was only built on promises that you couldn’t deliver, it would disband very quickly. But you can and you do deliver on the promises of your network. In this way, your network is both your cheerleading squad and a team of people willing to point your actual skills out to other people whom you haven’t met yet.
So start embracing both “who you know” and “what you know” because some (all?) of the best opportunities exist when we let our network and our credentials work together.